Apparatus for forming gun-barrels



Puma May 4,1920.-

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APPARATUS FOR FORMING GUN BARRELS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 10. P917.

WITNESSES I WILLIAM IE. COLE, OF WACO, TEXAs.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May a, 1920.

Application filed September 10, 1917. Serial No. 1 0,600.

To all whom it maycoaccm:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM F. COLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of aco, in the county of McLennan and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Forming Gun-Barrels, of which the followin is a specification.

l y present invention relates generally to the manufacture of gun barrels, and particularly to the manufacture of gun barrels having smooth bores of elliptical shape, twisted uniformly and adapted to replace gun barrels having the usual internal rifiing.

Gun barrels formed and shaped as above, as shown for instance in my Patent 69%883 of March l, i902, possess considerable advantage over gun barrels rifled as usual, in certain respects, although up to the present time the cost of production has been a decided disadvantage of this type of gun barrel, and it is therefore the primary object of my invention to provide a simple inexpensive apparatus or mechanism capable of avoiding the disadvantage named, and of imparting the desired shape or form to a gun barrel in a quick, effective and economical manner.

Generally speaking, my invention proposes an apparatus whereby a cylindrical tube may beslightly flattened along a uniform helical line for either its entire length or the greater proportion of its length, this shaping of the gun barrel taking the place of the usual step in the manufacture of gun barrels which consists in grooving the wall of its bore along helical lines. The particular means proposed by my invention for this purpose consists of a pair of forming plates disposed and held at all times in parallel plane's, between which a truly cylindrical tube is disposed in such manner as to permit of its free andready rotation upon its longitudinal axis during the forming operation, the plates having angularly disposed ribs between which the tube is pressed during the movement of at least one of the plates whereby the oppositely disposed ribs will. have constantly shifting contact with the tube during the rotation of the latter and will define along the line of contact, the lesser diameter of theelliptical. portion of the tube.

My invention therefore resides specifically in the apparatus to be now described with reference to the accompanying drawings,

tion by forming a part of this specification, and wherein:

Figure l is 'a plan view illustrating the apparatus constituting my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig". 3 is a plan view, reduced, with one of the plates shifted with respect to the other from the position shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken substantially. on line alof Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectionthrough a tube illustrating its truly cylindrical shape before action thereon by myimproved apparatus, and

Fig. 6 1S a similar view through a tube after it has been acted upon'by my improved apparatus and after its outer surface has been turned to truly cylindrical shapeonce more.

Referring now to these figures, I propose the provision of a pair of forming plates 10 and 11, the former of which may be secured and held in any desired manner upon a stationary support generally indicated at 12, and is provided at one side with an upstanding portion 13 which may be either a ledge extending the full width of the plates, or lugs at spaced points thereon as desired, and the function of which will be presently made plain.

The other plate 11 is disposed above the plate 10 and is movable with respect thereto.

and held in a plane parallel'with the plane of the plate 10 at' all times. This movable plate 11, whose shifting in operation may be brought about by any suitable power mechanism and connection, including for instance a pitman 1% connected to one side of the plate, may be suitably guided in its movements, as for instance, by side parallel grooved guide members 15. v a

It may be here stated, that both of the plates 10 and 11 may be moved if so desired, but this being unessential as presently described, I deem it more simple and economical to position the plate 10 in a stationary manner and accomplish the desired operathe movement'of plate 11 alone.

The plates 10 and'll are providedwith rounded projecting ribs 16 and 17 respectively, each extending generally in a transverse direction and at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the plates, these ribs being rounded transversely and provided with smooth surfaces, so that by properly spacing the plates with respect to one another, a truly cylindrical tube 18 may be disposed therebetweento rotate freely upon its longitudinal axis as it is engaged by the ribs 16 and 17. i

By reference to Figs. 1 and 3 in particular, it will be noted that the ribs 16 and 17, projecting toward one another from the plates 10 and 11. are disposed at divergent angles, and thus upon disposition of a tube 18 against the angular rip-standing portion .13 of the plate 10, and movement of the .Fig. 1.

After the desired shape has been imparted to the tube 18 as above described, it may be removed and placed in a lathe in order that its outer surface which atthis time is obviously of the same general shape as its bore, may be turned to truly cylindrical form once more, as seen in the finished gun barrel 19 of Fig. 6, the bore 20 of which, of course, remains in the shape imparted in the action of my improved apparatus.

It is obvious-that any suitable movable support may be provided for engaging the extremities of the tube 18 disposed between the plates 10 and 11 as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, capable of confining movementsv of the same to a uniform rolling motion as it advances slightly across the rib 16, so as to prevent all danger of one end shifting with respect to the other.

It is furthermore obvious from a coir sideration of the foregoing, that the pitch of the helical slightly flattened line of the tube may be controlled by varying the angular disposition of the ribs 16 and 17, and that while the details may be variously changed, the essentials of an apparatus of the present type are as shown, and the general relation of the parts will remain as described.

I claim:

Y 1. An apparatus for forming gun barrels, including a pair of spaced apart parallel forming members, one at least of which is movable, and between which a truly cylindrical tube may be disposed to freely move with the movable member and rotate on its longitudinal axis in a plane at right angles to the plane of movement of the movable member, said members having angularly disposed forming ribs projecting toward one another to engage the tube so disposed at a constantly shifting point in its length, for the purpose described.

2. An apparatus for forming gun barrels including a pair of spaced apart parallel forming members, one at least of which is movable, Y and between which a truly cylindrical tube may be transversely disposed to freely rotate on its longitudinal axis andv roll at right angles to this axis with the movement of the movable member, said members having forming ribs projecting toward one another and disposed at divergent angles whereby to engage the tube so disposed, along a line'constantly shifting longitudinally and circumferentially of the tube.

3. An apparatus for forming gun barrels, including upper and lower spaced apart forming plates having generally transverse ribs extending toward one another, and one of which plates is movable in a plane parallel to the plane of the other plate, said ribs being disposed at divergent angles with respect to one another, and guides for the movable plate arranged to maintain parallel relation between the plates at all times.

l. An apparatus for forming gun barrels including upper and lower spaced apart forming plates, one of which is movable in a plane parallel to the plane'of the other plate, guides for themovable plate, and forming ribs carried by said plates and projecting toward one another-in the space between the plates, said ribs being disposed at angles diverging toward one side of the plates, for the purpose described.

5. An apparatus for forming gun barrels including a pair of forming members, one

of which has bodily shifting movement parallel to the other, said members being provided with forming ribs extending toward one another, and being so spaced and related as to permit a tube disposed therebetween to freely roll with the movement of the movable member and present a con stantly shifting point of contact with the forming ribs.

6. An apparatus for forming gun barrels, including a pair of forming members, one of which has bodily shifting movement parallel to the other in spaced relation to receive therebetween a tube to be formed and permit the tube to roll freely with the movement of the movable member said members having means to engage the tube at a point constantly shifting lengthwise of the tube during its movement.

WILLIAM F. COLE. 

